Undergraduate Courses

MECHANICS AND MATERIALS. Physical foundations of materials, Structure, and mechanical properties of materials, Transforming materials, Mathematics for materials Science, Computing for materials science (MATLAB), Crystallography classes, Practical course, Lifecycle, processing and engineering of materials, Electronic properties of materials, Mechanical properties of materials.

MECHANICS I – STATICS. General principles of statics, idealizations, units, significant figures, Newton’s Laws; Force vectors and force system resultants, moment and couple, equivalent systems; Equilibrium of particles and rigid bodies, free body diagrams; Frames and machines.

DYNAMICS AND CONTROL. Introduction to the dynamics and vibrations of lumped-parameter models of mechanical systems. Kinematics. Force-momentum formulation for systems of particles and rigid bodies in planar motion. Work-energy concepts. Virtual displacements and virtual work. Lagrange's equations for systems of particles and rigid bodies in planar motion. Linearization of equations of motion. Linear stability analysis of mechanical systems. Free and forced vibration of linear multi-degree of freedom models of mechanical systems.

PRODUCT DESIGN. This course is designed to help you materialize your game-changing idea and transform it into a product that you can build a business around. Product Design blends theory and practice to teach you product validation, UI/UX practices, Google’s Design Sprint and the process for setting, Design Thinking, and tracking actionable metrics.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Scope Statement; Critical Success Factors; Deliverables; Work Breakdown Structure; Schedule; Budget; Quality; Human Resources Plan; Stakeholder List; Communication; Risk Register; Procurement Plan.

COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING (CIM). Principles of Manufacturing (History of manufacturing, Manufacturing as an enterprise, System process flow, Automated control, Cost of manufacturing); Manufacturing Processes (Design considerations for manufacturability, Property analysis, Ethics and safety, Creating a prototype, Manufacturing processes and machines, CNC mill programming and usage); Elements of Automation (Robotic simulation and physical testing, Power systems, Pneumatic system design and construction); Integration of Manufacturing Elements (Computer Integrated Manufacturing system types, Manufacturing and automation career research, Manufacturing system design and construction). Industry 4.0.

Graduate Courses

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY (VR/AR). Introduction to Virtual and Augmented Reality. History, and applications. Interaction concepts, interaction metaphors, controls/manipulators, interface, and navigation. Fundamentals of computer graphics: Coordinates, transformations, and projections. Non-conventional interface systems. Stereoscopy, parallax, and anaglyph. Non-immersive and immersive Virtual Reality, concepts, and devices. Tools for Virtual and Augmented Reality applications. Language to model virtual environments: Geometric Primitives; Transformations; Animations; Lighting; Geometric shapes; Complementary elements. Mobile Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality Browsers. Introduction to the techniques of image acquisition, processing, and analysis. Tracking techniques; Optical tracking for Virtual and Augmented Reality systems. Interaction techniques for Virtual and Augmented Reality environments. Haptic devices for Virtual and Augmented Reality interfaces. Collaborative environments of Virtual and Augmented Reality. Techniques and algorithms used in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: 3D modeling and visualization; Occlusion, collision detection and recognition. Tools to develop AR applications for mobile devices.

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) / Short Courses taught

ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE. Topics include: problem solving, reasoning, planning, natural language understanding, computer vision, automatic programming, machine learning, and so on.

MACHINE LEARNING. Topics include: (i) Supervised learning (parametric/non-parametric algorithms, support vector machines, kernels, neural networks). (ii) Unsupervised learning (clustering, dimensionality reduction, recommender systems, deep learning). (iii) Best practices in machine learning (bias/variance theory; innovation process in machine learning and AI).

FAILURE MODE EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA). Topics include: FMEA definitions and uses according to the AIAG 4th Edition Manual. Reasons and benefits of developing an FMEA. Differences between Product and Process FMEA. Use of analysis to correctly identify failure modes, effects, causes, controls, risk assessment and corrective actions.

GOOGLE G SUITE FOR EDUCATION. Topics include: Docs, Sheets, Jamboard, Keep notes, Forms, Meet, Classroom, Drive, Expeditions, Slides, Teams, Tasks, Sites.

LEAN & SIX SIGMA (LSS). Topics include: DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) process improvement cycle. Lean Six Sigma enable organizations to identify weaknesses of their business processes, to measure, analyze and improve their performance, and thus to sustainably increase customer satisfaction and decrease costs.

LEAN MANUFACTURING. Topics include: JIT, Jidoka, Takt Time, Heijunka, Poka-yoke, Housekeeping 5S, Heijunka Box, Andon, Hoshin Kanri, kaizen, Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA), PDCA, FMEA, Value-Stream Mapping – VSM, KANBAN, Total Productive Maintenance – TPM.

A3 REPORT. A3 thinking is based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle. This powerful way of thinking developed by Toyota is written on ledger-sized paper (11 x 17 inches) - the A3 report - that a team can use to define or clarify problems, suggest solutions, and record the results of improvement activities.

ANALYSIS AND PROBLEM-SOLVING METHOD – APSM. Topics include: APSM and the PDCA - Concepts and Objectives; The 4 Steps of APSM. Critical analysis of the problem (Flowcharts, Checklists, Brainstorming, Charts, Decision Matrix); Survey of Causes (Brainstorming, Fishbone Diagram, 5 Whys, Stratification, Histogram, Pareto, Scatter Diagrams, Data Collection Techniques); Actions on causes (Brainstorming, GUT Matrix, Action Plan - 5W2H); Verification of Action Results (Monitoring, Monitoring, Measurements, Indicators). Human and Behavioral Aspects for APSM Success; Fundamentals of Process Standardization and Continuous Improvement.

5S SYSTEM (HOUSEKEEPING). 5S is defined as a methodology that results in a workplace that is clean, uncluttered, safe, and well organized to help reduce waste and optimize productivity. It's designed to help build a quality work environment, both physically and mentally. The 5S philosophy applies in any work area suited for visual control and lean production. The 5S condition of a work area is critical to employees and is the basis of customers' first impressions.

DESIGN THINKING. Topics include: Design Thinking Skills. Identify Customer Needs. Applied Creativity – Product Concept Generation. Design of Services and Customer Experience. Financial Analysis. Identify environmental impacts that could occur over the life cycle of a product and the key components of Design for Environment (DFE) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

Online training (Google for Education)

Google for Education (G Suite) is a space aimed at agents in the education sector with technological and digital tools for those who need to teach, learn and connect. Among the services offered are: Meet, Classroom or Google Classroom, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Documents, Sheets, Presentations, among others. That is, Google for Education allows users to have resources for management, communication and organization.

Game-based learning (Online class)

The students of the Operations Management II discipline, in the Mechanical Engineering course at URI, developed an activity called "operation sheet: happy pig". This educational activity aims to introduce concepts about production systems and control, teamwork, quality inspection and compliance specification. We performed several steps, from the drawing of a random "happy pig" by each student, through the establishment of a standard happy pig and ending with a standard procedure sheet for the drawing to be delivered to a fictional customer. At all stages, we had student assessments and group discussion of points for improvement in the production process. We use an operator wearing glasses specially designed for this purpose, who is guided throughout the execution of the operation procedures by the student responsible for the PCP.

(August 31, 2020 - online class, Google Jamboard)

Kanban Pizza Game (Operations Management)

Happy to finish another semester of Operations Management in the Mechanical Engineering course at URI. Throughout the classes, we use a variety of gamified approaches and techniques, Dojo style, to playfully work on Lean Manufacturing content.

We covered 5S, waste, andon, stability, standardization, heijunka, help chain, kanban, lean leadership, value stream mapping, poka-yoke, SMED, KPI, OKR, OEE, kaizen, visual management, obeya, TRF, etc. I thank all the students for engaging in the dynamics. We remain firm using engaging content that awakens students' creativity and innovation.

(December 8, 2019)

The Lean City Game (Operations Management)

In the Operations Management 2 subject, in the URI Mechanical Engineering course, we developed a dynamic on the principles of Lean Thinking, Value Stream Mapping, Kanban Board and continuous flow.

The activity was very cool and the students were able to learn, in practice, the content covered by Lean Manufacturing.

(October 22, 2019)

Game-based learning

The students of the Operations Management II discipline, in the Mechanical Engineering course at URI, developed an activity called "operation sheet: happy pig". This educational activity aims to introduce concepts about production systems and control, teamwork, quality inspection and compliance specification. We performed several steps, from the drawing of a random "happy pig" by each student, through the establishment of a standard happy pig and ending with a standard procedure sheet for the drawing to be delivered to a fictional customer. At all stages, we had student assessments and group discussion of points for improvement in the production process. We use an operator wearing glasses specially designed for this purpose, who is guided throughout the execution of the operation procedures by the student responsible for the PCP.

Standardized Work is the establishment of precise procedures for the work of each of the operators in a production process, based on the following three elements:

1. Takt time, which is the rate at which products must be produced to meet customer demand.

2. The exact sequence of work in which an operator performs his tasks within takt time.

3. Standard inventory, including items on machines, required to keep the process running smoothly.

Standardized work, once established and displayed on workstations, is the object of continuous improvement through kaizen. Its benefits include documenting the current process for all shifts, reductions in variability, easier training for new operators, reduced accidents and risks, and a common basis for improvement activities. Three basic documents are commonly used in creating standardized work. They are used by engineers and supervisors to design the process and by operators to make improvements to their own tasks.

(September 04, 2019)